Old Friend
by WingedGhoul
Summary: MacCready is sent to kill a creature that has been 'terrorizing' a small settlement and taking their food at night. When he figures out just who it is he attempts to protect her from the BoS who are after her in attempts to either study or kill her. He doesn't know why he begins to feel things for her, but he knows he needs to protect her with the help of the SS. Rated M for later.
1. Seeing You Again

The silence was bearable, he had gone through this so many times it was just normal by now. He had been commissioned by some stranger who seemed to seek him out to ask him to take out some woman who had been 'terrorizing farmers and stealing their food' so they had put it, the settlers he went to go ask about this woman telling him where she could possibly be hanging around. She was pretty far out in the corner of the Commonwealth, taking refuge in a cave that was too dark to go into without some sort of night-vision. He sat at a distance behind a rock, watching the cave mouth and being wary of any feral Ghouls that might wander from the Glowing Sea that was rather too close than he would have liked. There wasn't any radiation here funny enough, seeming to be made quite home-like and protected by the small mountain that the cave rested in. It was kind of funny, just waiting out here. Normally he would have ran in, bagged the target and been on his way to collect his caps. But this one… he couldn't go in there without a light, and he wasn't going to go find one only to miss his target and have to wait for her to return or come back out the next day.

It was twilight, clouds had rolled in and it began to lightly drizzle, coating the ground and everything else with a light sheen of mist. Kind of beautiful when he looked at it and thought about it, but he didn't entirely like that he was getting wet. He furrowed his brows some and looked down the sight of his rifle which he had positioned to be looking at the cave mouth. This had better be worth the caps he was getting and the soggy outfit he was going to have to slog around in for a bit until it dried out.

There was something in the mouth of the cave: the shining of an eye becoming visible, just like looking at an animal's eye while they hid in the darkness. What sort of beast mix was this woman? If it was a woman at all; for all he knew, it could have been a damned Deathclaw.

As she stepped out of the cave more, MacCready's jaw nearly dropped and he couldn't believe the sight in-front of him. It was a young girl with pure white hair that seemed to gray at the tips, and… giant snowy-white wings. It was an astounding sight to behold; he'd never seen anything like her before.

No… he did, he remembered. Back when he lived in Little Lamplight; a young girl with wings - just like the woman in his sights - came and stayed for a few days to rest and eat some things to get her strength before leaving without any notice. Nobody knew why, she came and then vanished and barely talked to anyone but him. She would have been more than welcome among the other children, but maybe she didn't want to fit in and stay.

He couldn't believe he was seeing her again. She was a hard one to forget, not every day you spot a person with wings like those. MacCready simply watched her now as she stood in the rain, letting the drizzle collect on her wings before she out-stretched them and gave a hard flap causing the droplets fling off of them and create a mist cloud in the air. She was taking a bath, bathing her wings and cleaning them of dirt. How cute.

He didn't care that his outfit was being covered in rain, being captivated by the girl's strangely beautiful mutation. She wasn't much younger than him, probably a year or a couple of months separating them if he remembered right. Slowly he picked up his gun and began to sneak closer as she simply stood there, allowing the water to soak into her clothing - which consisted of a faded blue long sleeved shirt that was a bit too big for her that was torn in some places, along with gray pants - and hair. If MacCready knew her name, he would have shouted out to her, see if she recognized him. But he didn't, so he'd have to be careful and try not to spook her away. He threw his gun over his shoulder and began to walk closer, giving a soft whistle to catch her attention.

Her eyes went right to him and he could see her body tense up, her feathers ruffling out of fear. He held out his hands and slowly removed his gun and set it to the ground to show he wasn't going to hurt her.

"It's okay," he spoke softly as to not scare her, moving closer and keeping an eye on the rocky ground so he didn't trip. "I'm not going to harm you."

She simply stared at him and took a step back, causing him to stop in his tracks. She wasn't giving him a trusted look, and her breath seemed to pick up the closer he got and he was a bit afraid he was going to give her an anxiety attack. Even with his words being soft she still seemed to be on the edge of either flying into the sky, or turning and bolting into the cave to which he could try to give pursuit but would fail miserably in such a dark place.

"… We've met before," He started out, taking another step closer, hands out like he was trying to calm an angered dog, "… we met when we were kids. Do you remember Little Lamplight?" She met that with the tilt of her head, her wings that seemed to slowly be unfolding ceasing their movements. He smiled a little, "I was the-"

"M-MacCready," she murmured quietly, her voice soft like silk. He almost didn't hear her with the rain picking up now. "… y-you've… changed…"

"Well, I grew up. So did you it seems. Not much has changed for you, huh?" He reached down and grabbed his gun slowly, slinging it over his shoulder. Best to not leave it: it was his favourite gun.

"…" She shook off some water, flinging some of it onto the mercenary. He frowned and furrowed his brows. "Sorry, I-I didn't mean to do t-that," she quickly apologized, hugging herself with her wings wrapping around her body as well. MacCready sighed and smiled, gently resting a hand against her wing – which was a bad idea. She let out a squeak and backed away, startled by the sudden contact

"… Hey, we should get out of this rain; I don't want you to catch a cold…" MacCready spoke up, trying to keep his voice low.

"Y-you should be the one t-to talk. I-I'm used to this n-now…" She spoke softly before allowing her wings to fold on her back. She grabbed at his hand, quickly tugging him along into the cave. He couldn't see a thing in the darkness, only being guided by the winged woman in-front of him. They took a sudden right after a little bit of walking straight, causing a little bit of alarm to shoot through MacCready as he adjusted his course with her, trying to stay behind her so he didn't trip or bump his leg into a rock. He'd prefer not to get crippled right now. They stopped and the sound of a jiggling door handle was heard before light suddenly filed the darkness of the cave. Both candles and small lights powered by a generator hung and sat around the walls of the tiny bunker. She released his hand after tugging him inside, quickly closing the door behind them.

MacCready took a moment, admiring the cleaned look of the small bunker, the small bed that was mostly made out of a giant heap of cloth on top of a mattress and what little food and supplies she seemed to both collect and keep close. It was ingenious, putting something like this in such a dark place and rather deep into the cave to keep out Raiders and whatever else may try to intrude.

"… My grandparents b-built this b-bunker when they w-were still alive, along w-with my mom and d-dad - A-a second home in-case something h-happened a-and we n-needed to get out f-f-for a bit…" the winged woman spoke, her wings twitching as she moved past him after locking the door. She crawled into her nest, peaking at him over her shoulder, "T-they gave me d-directions t-to get here before they l-left me, giving m-me a chance to r-run as… as these men came…" She frowned and wrapped her wings around her body, hugging her legs as she brought them up to her chest.

MacCready frowned, moving to sit on the mattress beside her. He wasn't very good at giving comfort, and he didn't know if what he was going to say would offer too much for it. He sighed, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back and up against the wall that the bed was beside. It was uncomfortable, but he didn't care. She looked at him before suddenly wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his chest.

"... You know, I never did get your name…" MacCready murmured, looking at her before he hesitantly placed his hand on her head, her hair was weirdly soft. She looked up at him, her light blue visible eye staring at him. She gave a winsome smile before she nodded.

"… E-Ellie. My p-parents wanted s-something nice…" she shrugged and brushed some of her white hair behind her ear. He noticed it only came down to her shoulder blades, but that wasn't unnatural - The only thing that did seem unnatural was how soft and fluffy it looked and the colour of it.

"Ellie… nice name indeed. Hey… I've got an idea," MacCready began, leaning forward before standing up, Ellie quickly backing away and curling back up into her little 'nest', "There's this guy; Nate… he'd be more than happy to help you out. Heck, he gave me a good place, food, water, a roof over my head and all the caps and ammo I could carry when I began traveling with him… only thing is I don't know how well you fare around other people… especially when some of them aren't really human… seeing as you were pretty spooked when I walked up…"

Ellie practically jumped up to her feet, her wings flapping quickly, "… Y-you're kidding…"

MacCready shook his head, "No, I'm being serious. If you want, I can take you there in the morning when it's bright. I don't like traveling at night. I feel like we could get ambushed out there. And considering you don't look armed or prepared, I don't want to risk it."

"…" She went to sit back down in her nest, a sad look on her face. "…I… I don't… like to travel in the day. I'm m-much easier to see… and… my sleep schedule is pretty m-much stay u-up all night and s-sleep all day… being what I a-am."

"…. Look, we'll go at four in the morning. It's still dark out for you, but light enough for me. How about that?" MacCready bargained, trying to get her out of this little shack of a place to somewhere better. It was pretty smart being here, he had to admit, but she needed something much more… home-y and needed to be around people, she was so skittish and fearful, and he was planning on changing it. Ellie looked to think it over, rubbing her hands together.

"… Alright. We'll l-leave a-at four," she agreed, nodding her head, brushing a hand through her wet hair. Hell, MacCready almost forgot that he was soaking wet while talking to his friend. The excitement of meeting her again and being shown this little hide-out was enough to make him intrigued and forget a few things; his mission being one of them.

He wasn't sure how he was going to explain that to both Ellie and the person who offered the commission to him. He'd have to forget about all those caps he was going to make, the safety of one of the rarest creatures around was much more important than greed. She needed to be protected and cared for. He didn't think there were any more of her race around, MacCready had never spotted another flying human around. Besides, with how sweet she was being to him, he couldn't bring himself to do it, not now.

Ellie let him sleep on the bed for the time being, seeing as she was going to be awake for the few hours he needed rest. She moved her nest to the ground so he could get comfy on the mattress, seeing as humans didn't sleep in weird cloth piles like she did. He tilted his hat, just enough to the point it covered his eyes before he got comfy with hands behind his head for a makeshift pillow. He'd sleep for now, a small smile on his lips.

MacCready was happy to meet Ellie again; he always wanted to get to know her and her species. He'd never seen anything like her, even with all the types of things he'd seen and what the wastes provided… never something like her. The generator went out and so did the lights - save for the candles. He looked up, guessing Ellie wanted to make it a little easier for him to sleep. He chuckled a little and shook his head before he settled in again and allowing sleep to drag him into darkness, hearing the woman moving around as silently as she could.


	2. Meeting Everyone

The mercenary awoke to Ellie sitting beside him in her cloth-nest, watching him with her head cocked to the side. He blinked, frowning a little bit before sitting up. He fixed his hat and raised an eyebrow at her. She smiled a little, wings twitching as she rested her chin on the side of the bed.

"… D-did you know you t-talk in your sleep?"

"… I do?"

"Y-yeah. It's m-mostly gibberish… but y-you do talk in y-your sleep."

MacCready shook his head, getting out of the bed and stretching his limbs. She smiled and stood up with him, a small pack on her shoulder. It seemed she was all set and prepped to go now, what else could she have done waiting for him to wake up? He patted her on the head in a fatherly sort of way, she was such a child. Maybe that was why he was still here and willing to help out... It was hard to say.

"… Uh, you know, I don't have night-vision… so, you're gonna have to lead us out like you led us in…" MacCready said after approaching the only way out of this place. Ellie giggled a little, shuffling over to stand in-front of the mercenary.

"I thought s-so. N-no-one can g-get in or o-out of this place without b-being able to s-see in the dark. That's w-why I like it h-here, it's s-safe and reliable," she shrugged and unlocked the door, taking his hand before shutting it and locking it.

"… What's it like being able to see in the dark anyway?" MacCready asked out of pure curiosity. She seemed to freeze for a moment before she decided to talk.

"… It's n-nothing special. Darkness j-just looks lighter t-to me a-a-and I can see. My e-eyes adjust to everything – light, dark… it h-helps."

MacCready nodded, assuming she was able to see him as they began to walk. He was glad to see the light of the on-coming day as they walked out of the cave mouth. Ellie rubbed her eyes, her iris seeming to act like a telescope, growing bigger and smaller to adjust to the light out of the dark. He released her hand and began to trek down the small hill that lead up to the cave mouth. He looked in the woman's direction, waiting for her to follow her. "Come on, Ellie. I don't have all day."

She looked down to him before her wings out-stretched and she flew down to him, her balance a little wobbly as she flapped her wings. She landed next to him and grabbed onto his arm. He frowned some, looking at her right wing.

"… What's, uh, up with your wing there, Ellie?"

"… I… h-hurt it as a kid. It h-hasn't healed p-properly. I-I can soar j-just fine b-but flying i-is trouble."

He sighed and nodded, "Maybe when we get to Sanctuary Hills, someone can look at it for you. I dunno how much we could do, but you looked… really hilarious flying like that; one wing going faster than the other. You looked pretty stupid, I mean that in a 'that's kinda cute' sort of way… not to make you feel dumb for something you can't control…" he scratched the back of his neck.

"I… hope you're r-right. I… I have gotten u-used to flying l-like t-t-this, but… it wo-would be nice to actually… fly right," she giggled.

They walked a good while since her cave was fairly far from Sanctuary Hills, and they were cautious to watch for Raiders, Super Mutants, and feral Ghouls all the same. Ellie was beginning to fall asleep as they walked, staggering and nearly tripping over her feet. MacCready frowned and set down his weapon. "Hey, come on, Ellie, we're half way there… don't go to sleep on me now."

"…S…sorry M-MacCready… I… I d-don't…" She nearly fell over, the mercenary quickly catching her before she fell all the way to the ground. He fell to his knees, holding her close. He frowned and looked around. He groaned before setting his gun down. She blinked.

"Come on… I'll carry you on my back," MacCready murmured, grabbing her arms and lacing them around his neck before trying to stand up. She let out a soft groan, not seeming ready to stand up yet. "Come on, Ellie. You want to get to Sanctuary or not? You can sleep then when we do." MacCready persuaded.

Ellie wrapped her legs around his waist, her head resting against the back of his neck as her wings flapped a few times to help get her adjusted. She was a lot heavier than she appeared; it was probably caused by her wings. Take them away from her skinny frame and she'd weight a ton less. He picked up his gun and carried it now, Ellie hugging him tighter than he would have thought. She could sleep for now; it was mid-day at this point and he could get her there by twilight. She really wasn't lying about her sleep schedule.

MacCready walked as fast as he could, leaning forward due to her weight and trying to keep her hanging onto him. He was trying to think what some of the others would think about him bringing this strange creature to the settlement, fairly certain a few would like it. But the one person he was concerned about was Danse. He knew he used to be a part of the Brotherhood of Steel, and they weren't exactly… the most caring towards things that weren't human. Even with him being a Synth, he still didn't seem to particularly enjoy being around non-human things still.

His estimated time was a bit off; it was around ten at night when they got to Sanctuary Hills, everyone still relatively seemed to be awake. Nate, the Sole Survivor of Vault 111, ran over but stopped half-way when he took notice of what was on his back.

"… MacCready, exactly what is that... thing?"

"… An old friend of mine."

Ellie yawned and rubbed her eyes with a pale, small hand. She released off of the mercenary before hiding behind him once taking notice of the male standing a few feet away. She grabbed onto his duster, burying her face into his back. MacCready sighed, simply fixing his hat.

"… I wanted to ask you if she could stay. I mean, you've taken all these other guys in – Ghouls, Synths… A Super Mutant…" MacCready began, scratching the back of his neck, "I figured whatever Ellie is wouldn't be that big of a deal."

Codsworth floated over once he saw the slight commotion, looking towards Nate, "Is everything alright, Sir?"

"Yeah, Codsworth. Everything's… fine. Alright, MacCready, bring her over if you can. We'll introduce her to everyone else. I'm sure she'll fit right in."

MacCready looked under his arm at the girl who was still holding onto his outfit, slightly peeking up at him. He smiled and reached back to unhook her hands so he was holding them as he slowly brought her over, she was a bit hesitant and extremely timid following him, her wings wrapping around her body to hide the best they could. The mercenary rolled his eyes playfully, chuckling a little at such a childish action. She really was like a shy little girl on the first day of school who didn't know how to interact with people. It was really kind of cute in a way.

Nate rounded everyone up, making sure they all got a chance to meet the new face and got to know her since she was going to be staying with them for a bit. MacCready was more than happy to introduce her to everyone.

"So, this is Ellie. She's an old friend of mine; we met when we were kids and… I recently found out where she was hiding out, decided why not bring her here?"

"Hope you don't mind me asking, MacCready," Hancock began, taking a close look at the female. She blinked and hid a little more behind the mercenary, "exactly what sort of creature is this little sweetheart supposed to be? I ain't ever seen anythin' like her before. And I've seen a lot of things."

"She's certainly unique. That's pretty clear to see," Nick Valentine threw in, arms crossing over his chest. Ellie blinked and came out of hiding only to approach the Synth. He smiled a little, "Hey there. You know, I actually know another Ellie: she helps me run my detective agency in Diamond City. Dunno if you've ever met her, but she's really nice. I think you and her would get along just fine."

MacCready blinked and looked at Ellie as she examined Nick to the best of her abilities, leaning over to answer Hancock's question, "… I… have no clue what she is, she hasn't told me and I dunno if she knows either-"

"She's called a Night Angel," Paladin Danse suddenly interrupted, clunking over in his Power Armor. MacCready got a little protective, quickly grabbing Ellie and hiding her behind him. While Danse was exiled from the Brotherhood of Steel, he still wasn't too nice towards things that weren't human and who knew what he was going to do.

"… A Night Angel?" Nate asked, looking to the other. Danse nodded.

"They originated from a place called New Vegas, dunno when they appeared or how, but it was probably some science gone wrong like with Super Mutants. There were these cult members that believed in this old religion from thousands of years ago that dubbed them Night Angels after seeing them fly across the sky with their different coloured wings. They only came out at night and slept all throughout the day. This cult believed that they were a sign that their 'Lord' was going to be arriving soon to judge them all since Angels were their Gods' Warrior's or something like that," Danse looked to Ellie, "…They've been extinct for forty or fifty years. Ellie's the first Night Angel I've ever seen before. She's also probably the last one."

"… What happened to them?" Preston threw out, curious about the matter.

Danse sighed before going on, "The Enclave began to think that these Night Angels were going to start thinking themselves superior to everyone else since they could fly, and that they were eventually going to try to enslave people and make them do their bidding. They were quickly eradicated by the Enclave with miniguns when they found out where they were 'nesting' in one of the Vaults. I'm going to guess that Ellie's family moved here before her entire race was destroyed."

Hancock narrowed his eyes and stood beside MacCready, arms folded over his chest, "If you think you're going to be making her species extinct by maybe telling one of your Enclave friends, Danse, just know you're going to have to get through _me_."

Danse blinked and shook his head, "Woah there, Ghoul, I never said anything about me wanting to kill her. I'm not with the Brotherhood anymore, let alone the Enclave, and I wouldn't dare try to kill her with you all standing here. After all, I haven't killed Nick here, or _you_ ," he glared at the Ghoul, causing Hancock to snarl back at him, thin lips curling. "Besides, I don't know exactly what the Brotherhood plans to do about her, if anything."

"This… would make one hell of a story." Piper suddenly chimed, grabbing hold of Ellie's hand and smiling at her, "I would love to get a one-on-one interview with you when you have the time! I think it would make a rather thrilling story! 'The last of her kind; A Night Angel's struggle'! I could see it making a whole mess of caps! "

"Piper, I don't think that'd be a good idea. If the Brotherhood figures out that there's a Night Angel roaming about, they'll want to either capture her or they'll try to kill her. I don't think we'd want that," Nick quickly interjected.

"And if they did try anything, the Minutemen would be more than happy to help defend her," Preston looked to Nick, giving him a small grin.

"She would be safer with the Institute; there is no chance that the Brotherhood could get in there in a large number to try an assassinate her," X6-88's soft voice sprang into the air, which surprised a few people that he would even suggest something at all.

"I don't think I'd risk having Ellie be there with the institute… God knows what they'd try to do to her," MacCready grumbled, "don't think she'd like the Institute making Synthetic Night Angels…"

"Jus' why do we even care wha' happens to this little brat with wings? She's as good as dead anyway," Cait hissed, causing Ellie to hide behind both Hancock and MacCready. "I'd say let 'em have 'er."

"Cait, don't be an ass- I mean... don't be rude. Especially to my friend," MacCready said.

Strong gave a laugh, "Strong would be more good at protecting small winged human. She safer with Strong by side."

"Err… no offense my big, mutated friend, but… I don't think I'd be able to trust you with her. She's pretty fragile and… probably... _impressionable._ If you get where I'm coming from..." MacCready gave a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his neck. Strong blinked, but didn't go on.

Ellie sighed and stepped in the middle of everyone around, "L-look, I d-don't n-need you g-guys to protect me. I… I just… need a place to stay. M-MacCready s-said that I could l-lay low here for a-a little and g-get some food, and… interact with p-people… I.. need to interact with p-people, I've been alone f-for a very long time since m-m-my parents... were killed..."

Hancock smiled and placed a caring hand on her shoulder, "You're more than welcome to stay here, Ellie. After all, I ain't letting a pretty girl like you get killed because some dudes in Power Armor think they can simply make a species extinct cause they can," Ellie smiled a little and brushed some white hair behind her ear.

"Hey, Curie… I gotta ask you something…" the mercenary walked over to the Miss Nanny robot. She looked to him and spoke in a rather upbeat voice which gave off the idea she was happy.

"Anything Monsieur MacCready, what is it?"

"You're good with wounds; I'd like you to look at Ellie's right wing. There's something wrong with it. Can I count on you to take a look?" MacCready asked, looking at the Night Angel as she got to know everyone, seeming a bit skittish still. At least she was interacting with them. She seemed to stay by Nick and Hancock, which he couldn't blame her. Those two were the easiest to get along with.

"Oh, of course! I will not let you down!" Curie began floating over to the group, waving a 'hand', "Madame Ellie! May I see you for a moment?" the Miss Nanny bot asked, causing Ellie to jump a little. "Monsieur MacCready would like me to look at your wing. Do you mind if I do?"

"O…Oh… not at all," she smiled a little bit at the robot, seeming a bit intrigued by her.

"Magnifique! Please, follow me, I will try my best with your wing," Curie seemed rather upbeat about helping her, which MacCready supposed was good. He sighed and removed his hat, running a hand through his dirty blonde hair before putting it back on. Danse walked over to him, looking down at him.

"… You didn't just so happen to stumble across her, did you?" he persecuted.

"I… couldn't tell the truth as to how I found her. If she knew I was sent to kill her I don't think she'd be willing to come back with me… I dunno who hired me to do that job, but I get the feeling it could have been one of your _Brotherhood_ _brothers_."

"… It could have been. Are you planning on telling her?"

"No, I don't think I could do that. She wouldn't forgive me," MacCready looked to the ground, watching as Ellie entered a nearby house that was proclaimed the medical center. She waved at him before entering it with Curie; Hancock and Nick following close behind. Guess they either invited themselves or they were asked to help out since she seemed more at ease with them.

"I'll be honest. Ellie doesn't seem like a threat to me, I want to protect her just as much as you do as much as I probably don't seem like it."

"… That's surprising coming from someone like you, Danse." MacCready shook his head before he began walking over to the little medical center, leaving everyone else to do what they did. He picked a few Mutfruits that grew by the little home for Ellie and walked in. He'd be more than happy to help out with the little procedure, or just be there to talk and offer support to her.


	3. Hang-Out Time

"So, a Ghoul walks into a bar-"

"Hancock, I don't think Ellie wants to hear one of your Ghoul jokes."

"No, please, I w-want to hear this one. I've n-never heard a Ghoul joke before."

MacCready blinked as he walked into the room, holding some ripe Mutfruits in his hands. Hancock turned his gaze to the mercenary and gave a slight wave, grinning at him.

"Hey, MacCready, glad you could join us. Was just about to tell Ellie somethin' funny."

Curie was busying herself with poking and prodding Ellie's wing as she lay on her stomach on the table, her right wing out-stretched so the Miss Nanny bot could see the wound to its full extent. There was a small patch where the smaller feathers were ruffled up, along with a tiny patch that was completely featherless. The Night Angel looked to him and smiled sheepishly before she looked to the Ghoul sitting near her.

"Okay, so, Ellie. A Ghoul walks into a bar. Bartender says, 'We don't serve Ghouls here!' the Ghoul replies, 'That's fine. Is the human fresh?'" Hancock smiled as Nick gave a sigh and shook his head. Ellie took a moment before she gave a giggle.

"I… I think I get it."

"It's alright, sister. Not a lot of people do get it besides Ghouls. Don't feel bad to admit it if you don't."

MacCready shook his head, walking over to Ellie and handing her a Mutfruit. She stared at it for a moment before taking it and examining it and began nibbling on it. He smiled before sitting down in a nearby chair and tossing Hancock one of the Mutfruits as well. He caught it with ease and grinned as he bit into it.

"So, Curie, were you able to deduct the damage to Ellie's wing?" Nick asked, standing up as he walked over to take a look for himself, gently placing his exposed hand just over the old wound.

"So far I have found that it has healed in a rather strange manner, causing it to not hurt but just enough to where it messes with her flight patterns," the robot answered, "there is not much to do for it… aside from cutting it open a little to try and realign the bone-"

"-Personally, I d-don't like that idea…" Ellie chimed in, sitting up, "w-we're done here. Thank y-you for looking, Curie."

"It was no problem, Madame! If you ever have any wounds you wish for me to tend to, you know where to find me."

Hancock stretched as he stood up, flipping his knife around skillfully as he placed his other hand on his hip, "So, sister, you wanna rest up? Or do you plan on hangin' around with the guys who barely sleep?"

"… I m-mostly stay up all night and s-sleep all day… my schedule is messed up like that. I really like t-the night anyway…"

"Great! You, me, and Nick can sit around and talk more. It'll be a fun night," the Ghoul grinned and bowed some as he out-stretched his hand as if to ask Ellie to dance. She giggled and took his hand and pushed herself off the table. MacCready blinked before taking hold of Ellie's other hand.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to have to supervise this little meeting."

"Come on, MacCready. Don't be such a buzzkill. This sister needs to see what it's like to live. She's been living wherever you found her for who knows how long," the Ghoul rolled his black eyes, looking back at Ellie as a devious smirk crossed his lips, "It's not like I'm planning on doing anything bad, just a nice little hang-out. Or play-date, however you wanna put it, _Mister Grouchy_ …"

"I'm not-!" MacCready grumbled, arms folding over his chest. "I'm not _grouchy_. I'm just… watching out for her."

"Being a little over protective there, MacCready?" Valentine chuckled.

"Anyway, come on, sister. We got a nice little spot where we can hang. Just us three," Hancock began to lead her out of the medical center, Nick following close behind as the mercenary quickly trailed after them. "Okay, maybe four since MacCready seems to want to join us," he teased, looking at MacCready over his shoulder.

They walked to a small shack-home that Nate had built for when people wanted to be alone for whatever reason, or a simply hang-out room. Hancock opened the door like a gentleman for Ellie, allowing her in before Nick and MacCready. He went inside last. Ellie found her spot and sat in a small chair, hands on her legs as she looked around the shack.

"Reminds me of home: small and simple," she murmured, "I-I should t-take you guys t-there sometime when I can..." Ellie admired the spot, poking at some of the toys that lay around.

"Yeah, it's alright I guess. So, Ellie! I wanna know about you! I wanna hear some details about our lovely sister here," Hancock grinned, sitting down before he propped his head up with the back of his hands, elbows resting on his knees. He was already intrigued by her, and hearing about her life would be a great experience. MacCready leaned against a wall of the shed, frowning some. Nick chuckled before sitting down as well.

"I wouldn't mind hearing about some of your life either. Only if you're willing to tell it," Nick smiled, leaning forward some, hands dangling between his knees.

"… W-where would you like me to begin? I-I had a nice l-life until I was five or s-so. My p-parents moved h-here before… everything happened… I… I lost them w-when I was young." She reached into the pack she had been lugging around, pulling out a small book that was surprisingly intact. She showed it to them, "t-this book is a-about m-my species history, s-so my parents said. A-a scribe wrote it all, along w-with some scientists t-that were studying u-us f-for a little. T-they told me t-to read it when I could a-and gave it to me the d-day before they, uh, d-died… I… I never wanted t-to open it. I dunno what I'm gonna f-find out… They must h-have taken it b-before everything w-went down…"

"Don't suppose you'd mind if I took a look at that book?" Valentine asked. Ellie shrugged her shoulders and handed it to him without argument, wondering what he was planning on doing with it. Nick opened it up and began to leaf through some pages with his 'fleshed' hand, stopping on others and looking to read some of the scribbled words. He shut it after getting the last page within seconds, "Now this is interesting…"

"What's up, Nick? Find somethin' good and juicy?" Hancock grinned.

"This book doesn't say much as to how Ellie's species came to be. It sort of starts only when they're just starting to be called Night Angels - It talks about their biology and everything, and how they're supposed to be part owl: A creature that flew at night and was a very silent hunter, which makes them a force to be reckoned with if angered. Aside from what Danse said, there's not much else that's new. They were worshipped like saints by certain people, but they just wanted to be left alone and stay out of everyone's way. They lived in a giant nest, all together, in a big cave that used to be an under-construction Vault that wasn't ever finished. Guess when the Enclave found it, It was an easy target to go in and just…" Nick trailed off, yellow optics looking to Ellie. She frowned and looked to the ground.

"Fuckin' Enclave, they sound just like the Brotherhood. Racist assholes." Hancock muttered.

Ellie stood up, arms hugging her body as she began to move to the door. MacCready blinked, trailing after her after she exited the shed. He caught up to her and stopped her – placing a hand to her shoulder.

"Ellie, you okay?"

"… I… I need a bit… I w-wanna be alone."

"… Ah, I see… I'll let you be then," MacCready nodded, backing away from her a little. She nodded to him before she looked around, spying the large tree in the center of Sanctuary and flying up to sit in the dead branches. She made herself comfortable before resting down, back on an out-stretched thick branch with her wings dangling down. She was looking at the night sky, taking it in. The mercenary sighed before he began to walk away, only to bump into Dogmeat. The dog barked, tail wagging as he stared up at the man. MacCready smiled and knelt down, petting the creature gently before standing up, "Hey there, boy," he murmured, "what's up?"

Dogmeat barked again up at him, turning and bolting off. MacCready raised an eyebrow before shaking his head and chuckling a little. Perhaps it was best to take a long rest now; he was unbelievably tired and ready to hit the hay. He stretched his arms and headed for the house that held the beds. He went to the one he was assigned to and sat down on it, placing his rifle down on the ground before rolling onto his side, staring at the wall. His eyes felt heavy as he began to drift off to sleep.

When the sun decided to rise early in the morning, MacCready was up and ready to start the day. As he made his way out of the little house, he looked around. Ellie was still in the tree and Dogmeat was barking at her, running back and forth underneath her as if to try and coax her out of the tree. Guess the creature wanted to play with her since she was new around here and was way different than everyone else. MacCready chuckled and made his way over, causing Dogmeat to stop and whimper at him.

"Sorry, Dogmeat, Ellie's either trying to catch some sleep or she's just not in the mood…" he ran his hand up and down the dog's back, smiling a little at him. He only let out a bark, placing his front paws on the trunk of the tree as he playfully barked at the winged woman. Ellie let out a whine, looking down at the creature as she flipped onto her stomach, wings out-stretching and giving a soft flap.

"Err… sorry, Ellie. Dogmeat really wants to meet you. I think he was sleeping when you first came here."

"That's fine," she yawned, "he's been b-barking at me for an hour n-now. When I'm more awake I'll p-play with him. For now, I j-just want to sleep…"

He grabbed the bandana around Dogmeat's neck and gently pulled him back, "Come on, boy. Let's leave Ellie alone for now, 'kay?" the dog looked at him and whined.

MacCready walked Dogmeat to his doghouse, letting him be there before leaving him, shutting the gate. As he turned away he almost ran right into Piper. She let out a small yelp, almost dropping the food she was carrying to the house storage.

"Gotta watch where you're turning, MacCready," Piper grinned.

"Says the woman who can barely see carrying all that _food_ ," MacCready snickered, stealing a Mutfruit out of her hands. She frowned at him. "Hey! We going to have that one-on-one interview anytime soon?" he teased.

"Only if you're up for giving me some things about you and Ellie's relationship. Other than that, no," Piper shook her head. MacCready rolled his eyes, placing the Mutfruit back on top of all the harvest before he walked away. "Must be a touchy subject!" She laughed, "I'll get something out of one of you. I always do!"

He waited awhile, sitting on the ground. Nate had gone out with his Power Armor, bringing Preston with him since there had been word of a settlement needing help or something like that. The only reason he'd ever help out a settlement would be for caps. Nothing more and nothing less - that what being a mercenary was all about in the end. He sighed and stood up, walking over to the large tree that Ellie was still in, she was awake now, looking out to the wastes. Dogmeat was lying at the base of the tree, ears attentive and focused as his head lay on his paws. He looked at MacCready as he approached and gave a bark. Ellie looked down and smiled and gave a wave to him. She climbed down from the tree and stretched her arms and legs. Dogmeat gave a soft bark, sitting beside Ellie's leg and pushing his nose into her hand. She giggled and gently patted him on the head.

"What a cute d-dog… sure, he's been bothering m-me all day… but how can you s-say no to this face?" Ellie smiled and draped her arms around his neck, burying her face into the dog's fur. MacCready chuckled and shrugged.

"He's alright…" arms crossing over his chest, he watched her get her face licked by the mutt. Ellie frowned.

"He's more than j-just alright, MacCready. He's p-precious," she corrected.

The mercenary walked over and gave a ruffle to Ellie's pure white hair. She whined and quickly tried to fix it, making certain most of it stayed over her left eye. MacCready blinked and knelt down so they were eye-level with each other.

"… Exactly what's up with your left eye? You've always got it covered… Something happen to it?"

"… It's n-nothing, MacCready. Don't w-worry about it," she waved it off, brushing some hair behind her ear.

MacCready dropped it almost instantly. When she was ready she'd either tell him or show him, just like anyone who earned trust with one another around the little area. He sighed, then got a rather great idea. She didn't seem to carry around any weapon – he wondered if she even knew how to use one. He stood up and gave a grin.

"Hey, Ellie, I think it's about time."

"….F-for what?"

"For you to learn how to shoot. Don't worry, I'll teach you. I think it'd really help you out. In the Commonwealth, it is either kill or be killed you know…" MacCready smiled and reached his hand out for her to take," So, what do you say?"


	4. Rifle Lessons

MacCready was glad that Ellie took him up on his proposal. They agreed to meet at the Red Rocket station at twilight so that Ellie could catch-up on some rest that she missed thanks to Dogmeat. He had gotten there early to set-up the 'range' he was planning on using to help the Night Angel learn how to use a gun. He had decided to let her use his sniper rifle, finding a 10mm pistol that he'd try to teach her how to use as well. Sure, she could just fly away from opponents and hope they don't shoot at her, but that didn't seem like a good plan.

He went ahead and leaned up against a wall, shutting his eyes as he waited. It almost felt like time flew by, for he felt a gentle tug at his cheek and quickly looked to spy Ellie, who was staring up at him with a large smile on her dirty face - a result of not being able to properly clean-up and living in a cave. He never actually noticed how short she was, probably standing at around five foot. Her wings made her look larger since they were so big compared to her thin frame, her body type reminded him of a Ghoul, which wasn't good. It was already twilight, which was fine with him. He smiled back; he couldn't wait to begin their little session together.

MacCready made sure she knew how to properly hold a weapon so she didn't break her collarbone or have the gun recoil and hit herself in the face with it. He didn't want to have to go to see Curie because he didn't teach her proper ways of safety around guns and she got a bloody gash in her head thanks to the gun lashing and striking her head from a shot he didn't prepare her for. He'd certainly get a lecture from Hancock or Nick since they both seemed to adopt her like she was just a little kid – which, in a way, she was. She had the innocence of a kid and it was precious to see her act like one, too. He was certain that if Duncan and Ellie ever met they'd get along so well. It was a cute thought, he liked it a lot.

The Night Angel was hesitant to shoot the pistol – the gun the mercenary decided she should try to shoot first – at some beer bottles that he had used for targets, her hands surprisingly steady for someone who had never shot a gun before and seemed to jump at just about any loud sound.

"Just focus on the target, you can do it," MacCready encouraged, standing close behind her and making sure her hands were correct on the handle. She took a deep breath and aimed. There was a hesitant moment before she shot the gun, managing to keep it from recoiling too hard. And the funny thing was she actually managed to hit her target, the bottle exploding and what was left of it falling over. MacCready was rather impressed, even though he wasn't going to verbalize that fully. Lucky shot after all. Ellie looked proud of herself, wing flapping as she looked to the mercenary as if for guidance as to what to do next or just to see the look on his face.

"Not bad, not bad. Lucky shot. Now, why don't you try to hit the other bottles?"

"… I-if I hit two in a row, I get to shoot the sniper r-rifle next."

"Oh-ho there, Ellie, I think you should work your way up to the sniper, when you get more comfy and know-how with the pistol…"

"What? Don't t-trust me, MacCready?" Ellie teased. He smiled; glad to see she was getting a lot more comfy and able to express more and be playful with it.

"I don't want you to rush into moving to a larger weapon, you've never shot before…" At least he believed so. She didn't have any guns in her cave, so he assumed she either hated them or just never used them.

"… Yeah, that's true, but I-I still deserve a chance w-with it." Ellie seemed to gain more courage, not being shy towards him or sticking to what she was using. He nodded.

"Alright, if that's how you want to play it. Two more bottles with the pistol, then you can graduate to the sniper," he grinned, "can't wait to see how you do."

The Night Angel took aim once again, confidence up she fired, dead-on hitting one of the bottles before a slight adjustment and firing at another one of the bottles. Yet again, she hit it. MacCready was really impressed now. She looked at him with a small smile on her lips and handed him the small gun before holding out both her hands out of excitement for the long-range rifle. MacCready slowly handed it to her, making sure it had ammo first.

"This is my favourite gun. Don't break it." MacCready teased. The creature rolled her eyes and took a look at the gun before looking down the sight. The mercenary crossed his arms and waited for her to shoot the last two bottles. She took a deep breath and took a shot. The bottle shattered and MacCready couldn't believe what he witnessed. Honestly, he really expected her to mess up a few times; maybe… it was the fact her eyes were like however an owl's were? Owls were supposed to be this creature that had amazing hearing and extremely good eyes… so, maybe, if she focused hard enough she couldn't miss her targets. He was amazed, jaw slacking. Ellie giggled as she looked to his face.

"Impressed? T-the look on your face says it all." She giggled.

" _Whaaat_? Well, okay. Maybe a little. I wasn't expecting you to be such a good shot. Seems you're one lucky _angel_ ," MacCready chuckled.

She was really proud of herself now, wings fluttering softly before resting on her back once again. She handed him back the rifle since it belonged to him mostly and she didn't want to accidentally shoot him or herself. She was enjoying spending this time with MacCready, she regretted never getting to know him better as a kid back when they first met at Little Lamplight, but she was… so terrified to let anyone close to her in fear they would do harm to her for what she was, or they'd try to cut off her wings despite being children. People scared her, kids were okay but she didn't want to be near them for too long. She preferred isolation and could stay by herself for an extreme amount of time, her only interaction with the outside world being a radio she found and moved to her home and when she went to small settlements to get some food. A lot of the settlers in certain places knew her and would happily leave out food for her to take. Only certain ones would wait for her to come and would take a moment to talk to her before giving her food. She appreciated it greatly.

Whoever claimed she was 'terrorizing' settlements was completely wrong. A lot of them accepted her, especially at The Slog. The Ghouls there were very nice and Holly, one of the female Ghouls, would always wait up to talk to her. Sometimes Ellie thought she was flirting with her, but she didn't know what flirting really was until she heard one of the Ghouls mention it.

She brushed some loose hair behind her ear as she looked around, they had come out here for her to practice shooting, but it seemed like she was already good at it. Half of it did have to do with her eyesight, though she did feel like it was simply natural.

MacCready stood there awkwardly for a couple of moments, trying to figure out what to do – it was still early… his stomach gave a growl and he laughed a little, Ellie giggling at him.

"I haven't had much today…" MacCready muttered.

"Me neither. Let's g-go get something to eat," Ellie took his hand and began tugging him behind her. "Food sounds r-really good right now…"

"Yeah… I wonder what sort of things Nate brought back – if he's back at all."

"I t-talked to him on my way here, he is back for certain." Ellie assured.

They walked back to Sanctuary together, both talking all the way there. MacCready couldn't deny that he was having a load of fun, it was like being with Lucy again… only, Ellie knew what he was and she never did. He went silent, looking down at the ground as they walked over the bridge. The Night Angel looked at him and placed a hand to his chest, stopping him. He looked up to her, those deep, ocean blue eyes staring into her extremely light blue visible eye. She looked concerned.

"… MacCready, is s-something wrong?"

He quickly shook his head, "No, nothing… just, thinking back to old times is all."

"Oh… I see," was all Ellie muttered out before they began walking again, obviously not wanting to push him into talking. MacCready didn't know why Lucy suddenly sprang into his head; perhaps it was because of this feeling that was beginning to grow in his heart for this girl. He didn't want to feel this way for his friend, he wasn't certain if he could ever move on. He had a kid for Christ's sake! He didn't want to dump the motherly duties onto Ellie. She deserved way better than what he was – a mercenary; a man who killed for money and nothing else. Sure, he was a good one, but… he didn't deserve such a sweet girl like her. She deserved to be happy with someone, and he didn't know if that someone was going to be him.

They arrived at Sanctuary, passing by the two mini turrets that guarded the small neighborhood's only real entrance. Ellie was hanging onto MacCready's arm, he head resting against it as they walked to join everyone else in eating. Ellie actually hadn't met the other settlers – or Minutemen, the ones that were originally with Preston before Nate met them - that roamed around and fixed-up things every now and then.

Ellie was about to meet them.

Sturges was the first; he was far more than happy to talk to her and get to know her a little bit more, having completely missed her arrival and wishing he hadn't done so. Then there was Mama Murphy who began going on about her sight, taking hold of Ellie's hand gently.

"You've got a bright future ahead of you, child." She said, patting her small hand. "The Sight doesn't lie. You're going to meet someone, can't say who… but you're gonna love 'em."

Ellie was a little bit skeptical, simply shaking her head, "I dunno i-if there'd be someone out there who would l-like me… I mean… I'm… not p-pretty, or smart… or strong. I'm pretty useless…"

 _That's a complete lie_ , MacCready thought to himself, _you're perfect, anyone would be happy to have you…_

He smiled at her and they both grabbed some food that was sitting out to be taken. Ellie grabbed a clean plate that Nate had somehow found out in the Commonwealth and took a few pieces of corn, a slice of watermelon, and a small Softshell Mirelurk piece of meat. At least Nate said it was Softshell Mirelurk, couldn't ever really tell the difference besides the size. MacCready did the same but grabbed a slice of Brahmin meat, and some tatos. They sat outside together on the porch of the home and talked once more.

Ellie was really beginning to open up to MacCready, telling him about her parents and how they were the sweetest people ever and he would have loved them had he met them. She leaned her head up against his shoulder, taking a bite out of her watermelon slice, giggling softly as some juice ran down her chin. MacCready smiled and wiped it away for her. Her eye widened and she looked at him quickly, her pale cheeks taking on a flush pink colour. It was his turn to chuckle a little at her reaction.

"Just cleaning you up." MacCready murmured.

"… I… hmm…" She looked away, biting into the Mirelurk meat, using both of her hands to hold it as she chewed and nibbled on the sea food. MacCready couldn't help but watch her and adore her actions. He watched her eat, almost forgetting the food on his own plate.

There was laughter and voices coming from inside the house where everyone else had grabbed their food – at least those who needed to eat – and were communicating with each other. But MacCready didn't hear much of it, all the background noise was beginning to fade away as the two sat together, nothing but the light from inside the house accompanying them.

She was so beautiful, he couldn't help himself. Ellie finally noticed him staring and looked to him, seeming a bit embarrassed.

"… I e-eat like a Deathclaw – absolutely sloppy…" she giggled, looking at her plate.

"What? No. I mean… it's kind of cute the way you eat. With how you use both your hands and the way you hold things with them? Really adorable," MacCready complimented, "sorry for staring, I just… it was captivating. Like watching a majestic Radstag."

Ellie's face went pink, and it was easy to see such a colour on her pale skin. "You f-flatter me."

"I'm only speaking the truth…"

They sat and ate the rest of their food in silence, apart from the music that was blaring on the radio and the sounds of the others having a nice time. MacCready liked this, it was so nice. Them, together, alone. As much as he knew it wouldn't last, he just wanted this to go on forever. But nothing good lasted forever. Hancock was the one to ruin that peace, walking outside and kneeling down so he was between the two, poking his head in the middle.

"Well hey there, sister. MacCready," Hancock nodded at the mercenary before placing his hands on their shoulders. He looked at Ellie, "So! Did ya' learn how to shoot today, sister?"

"She's a natural at it, I swear," MacCready answered for her since she still seemed a bit shocked at the Ghouls' sudden arrival. He gasped dramatically and smiled.

"Really? That's great news! Looks like you might be out of a job there, Mac." Hancock teased, throwing a smug look at him. MacCready just laughed.

"You should have seen her. She held the rifles so steady."

"That's my girl!" Hancock shouted, wrapping both his arms around the Night Angel. He backed off, "Oh! Right. So, Nick wanted me to give you this back…" he reached into his coat and pulled out the book Ellie had given to Nick a little bit ago. "You left it with Nick, he read over it a few times before deciding to give it back. Then again, you were asleep, too. So giving it back would've been hard."

"Oh… thank you." Ellie took the book and placed it in her lap after putting the plate that was now empty, save for picked-clean ears of corn, on the ground. "… I was meaning to get this back. I did just storm out of the shed…"

"… Don't you have someplace to be, Hancock? Not to sound like we don't enjoy your presence, but we wanted to be alone." MacCready said. Hancock held his hands up.

"Sorry, didn't know. I'll leave you two lovebirds alone then." He made kissy faces at MacCready to mock him before laughing, pulling out a cig before lighting it and walking back inside. The mercenary looked down, his cheeks flushing now. Sometimes he really liked Hancock because he was one of the coolest mayors around, other times Hancock could prove to be difficult to handle, almost too much. Especially when it came to this sort of thing and he could just feel it. It's like the damned Ghoul had a 'you-got-a-crush' sensor on him or something.

"What did he m-mean by 'lovebirds'? You're not a bird." Ellie innocently spoke up, looking MacCready over as if to check for feathers. If only he did have wings, it would have made traveling so much easier, not to mention killing people from a great height would he pretty fun. He shook his head.

"It's… a metaphor, or something like that. Don't worry about it." He waved off.

Ellie nodded and looked to think for a moment before standing up and spreading her wings. "… I… I think I'm going to go back t-to the Red Rocket station… it's quieter there…"

"Want to be alone again?" MaCready asked, frowning.

"… No, I just… would like quiet. I'll be back in a bit…" she whispered before taking off, holding her book close to her chest. He watched her fly away, fixing his hat since the gust from her strangely powerful wings almost made it fall off. He guessed it was time to join in the fun everyone else was having inside, there wasn't much a reason to stay out now with her gone. He grabbed the plates and walked inside, already chuckling at some of the silly things being said.

He couldn't wait for Ellie to get back. She was a really great friend, one he could trust so easily with things, normally people had to earn that trust. But her? She was an exception.

* * *

Quick Author's note: I would just like to thank those of you who have taken your time to read this story. I was a little hesitant on uploading this for certain reasons, but I'm glad it has received decent attention. I didn't expect a lot, but I'm glad with what I've got so far.


	5. Raiders

MacCready yawned, placing his hand over his mouth as he did so. He was waiting for Ellie to get back, watching the horizon closely, looking back and forth in the night sky that was crudely lit thanks to the sun that was going to be coming over the horizon soon. He was waiting to see a pair of large wings and a small figure fly into the sky and return back to Sanctuary Hills. It had been five hours since she left, and he had been standing there for almost those whole five hours in wait for her return. Nate walked out of the house and stood beside him, leaning back against the house next to Maccready. He smiled at the merc.

"I felt the same way, you know."

MacCready blinked and raised a brow, "… What do you mean?"

"When I met my wife? I fell for her hard, couldn't wait to see her again every time we left each other's company. I can see that you like Ellie, the way you look at her and talk to her. What's holding you back?"

"… Lucy," was all MacCready muttered, looking to the ground as he shifted his weight. Nate frowned and placed a hand onto the mercenary's shoulder.

"Trust me, I know how you feel… having a love one die in-front of you while you can't do anything about it… but you've got to move on, even if you still can't stop thinking about the one you loved before. You deserve to be happy." Nate smiled. "Just look at me and Piper. I loved my old wife, but… eventually, you move on to someone who'll love you just as much."

MacCready sighed, "I… what if she doesn't feel the same way? I don't want it to be awkward between us. She's just starting to warm up to me. Back when we were kids she barely spoke - even while I tried to coax her into it so I could learn more about her. She never even told me her _name_ back then-"

"You got to ask her about it, MacCready. That's all I can say. Be brave and tell her how you feel, you'd be surprised." Nate said as he began walking away.

The mercenary thought about it, weighing his options and how good of a chance he had. She seemed to like him – but it could have been just the feeling of friendship and nothing more. He made his way to the Red Rocket station just down the road, thinking of what to say as he did so, lighting up a cigarette and putting it between his teeth to help calm his nerves. What could he possibly tell her? How could he put it in a way she didn't deem weird or creepy? He slowed his strides so he could have more time, blowing smoke out of his nose in a sigh.

He nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of something exploding, his cig falling from his mouth and down into the water below through a crack in the half-broken bridge. It sounded like a mini turret exploded, and it more than likely was with smoke flying up into the air. He grabbed his rifle off of his back and quickly ran towards the direction of the station, the feeling of worry washing over him. What if Ellie was hurt? Raiders would have loved nothing more than to get their hands on something as delicate and innocent as her. He gritted his teeth and leaned against the large rock just near the station, taking a deep breath in before he looked down the sights onto the scene below. He hoped that one of the mini turrets might have simply malfunctioned or he was imagining things.

Much to his dismay, it had been blown up along with the other defenses that had been set-up to stop those who had bad intentions from making it to Sanctuary Hills. He quickly scanned the area in search of Ellie, hoping she was alright. And she was, but she was being held down by two of the three Raiders that dared intruded. MacCready let out an agitated groan as he tried to focus on one of them to shoot but with Ellie panicking and them moving trying to keep her wings down it didn't help. He put his rifle down and slung it over his shoulder before he ran down, maybe he could reason with these guys.

"Get o-off of me! Please!" Ellie shouted, flailing her arms and wings in attempt to break free. "L…Let me up!"

"Keep her down, I'm sure Michael would be more than happy to know what we've found, don't want her flying off before he gets to see her," one of the males, who was much larger than the other two – and heavily armored - chimed out. MacCready frowned, picking up his pace. The two holding down the Night Angel looked up upon noticing him, causing the heavily armored one to look at him as well.

"I think it would be a good idea to let her go. I'm sure you wouldn't want any trouble, now would you?" Maccready began, watching the three carefully.

"M-MacCready! Help me…" Ellie whispered, tears starting to stream down her face as she continued to try and get up, but was simply too weak to push the grown men off of her wings and her back.

"Zion, James, keep her quiet," the larger spoke up. MacCready began to look over each of their features quietly to see if he recognized any of them. One of the two who were holding down the poor Night Angel had extremely wild, long and _bright_ red hair. He could see it even in the gentle light of the rising sun that was just beginning to show itself. The other had black hair that faded as it went. He seemed to have a sniper rifle as well along with a scar over his left eye and glasses, and a fuzzy beard that looked to be just starting to grow out. The brutish looking one simply had jet black hair, nothing too special.

"You guys seem reasonable," the mercenary spoke, holding up his hands, "and I'm a pretty reasonable guy myself. So, what do you say you let Ellie come with me and… we'll figure something out for you guys -"

"Just what is all this hullaballoo about, my friends?" A sudden voice spoke up, a strong gust sending dust into the air as someone landed on the ground, a petite woman hopping off of his back as he allowed large wings to fold upon his back. Everyone went silent, especially MacCready.

It was another Night Angel. He couldn't believe it.

"Michael. So glad you could join us. I think you'll be very happy with what we found!" the brute gestured towards Ellie. Michael seemed to let out a dramatic gasp as he walked over.

"Well, come on; get off of the poor thing! You're probably hurting her wings!" Michael shooed the two off of her, taking hold of her hand and picking her up. She stared at him, seeming to be in disbelief that there was another one of her species still alive. "Ellie… my dear friend… do you remember me?" he asked quietly, holding her close. MacCready crossed his arms, a feeling of jealousy suddenly rising in him. Ellie took a moment, looking at the taller Night Angel before it seemed to register in her head. Her wings flapped and she smiled.

"Michaelangelo! I… I haven't s-seen you since we w-were younglings!" she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his chest the best she could since he was wearing some chest armor. He returned the gesture, resting his head atop of hers as they simply held each other. The mercenary looked over the other. Michael had a buzz-cut, his hair a dark brown. He wore a bandana around his neck, some shoulder pads and on his left hand he had a Deathclaw Gauntlet, it looked as though he had a few scars going across his face, too, three on each of his cheeks and four going across his nose – each going the exact same direction – across his face. His wings were deep brown with lighter and even darker shades and tints of brown, blacks and whites. He wondered what kind of owl he was supposed to be if Ellie was a snowy owl.

MacCready quickly walked over and took Ellie's hand, causing her to detach from Michael and look to him. He smiled and walked them both a little bit away so he could talk to her one-on-one.

"Ellie… I think you need to take a moment. Look at him and the group he's with. They're _Raiders_! They aren't to be trusted… I don't know if they're really excited just to see you or what but… I don't think we can trust them," MacCready looked into her visible eye, a frown on his face. She looked down and brushed a hand through her hair.

"MacCready… I haven't seen Michaelangelo since we were little… I t-thought I was alone. Knowing that he's still alive…" She sighed, "It's such a relief… I know that h-he's a good man. He was always honest as a child-"

"And that was when he was a _child_. When I was a kid I used to cuss almost all the time and didn't care about what other people thought," he reasoned, "now look at me. I've given that up to be a better person. Who's to say that he's still the same as when you were kids? The Commonwealth can change who you are, you know."

"…" Ellie frowned. "… You never k-know until you g-give them a chance, right?" she muttered. MacCready sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"… Fine. But if they start acting funny, I'm going to put a bullet between each of their eyes."

Ellie wrapped her arms and wings around MacCready and nuzzled her head into his chest. He patted her on the back, not too happy about the little agreement but tried to be happy for her despite the fact it sort of… hurt. There was something in his gut that was telling him that this was a bad idea. He was going to keep on that feeling and wasn't planning on letting Ellie out of his line of sight; his gut never lied to him before. He never trusted Raiders, for good reason, too. As good as this little group may have appeared to be; MacCready didn't trust them or believe their intentions to be good.

The Night Angel approached the group, MacCready following close behind. Michael took hold of her hands and smiled.

"Ellie, I'd like you to meet my friends. I'm so sorry they treated you the way they did… they don't know how to be gentle and would never know the meaning of the word even if it bit them in their asses," Michael shrugged. "Anyway… This is Zion, he's the one who deals with the fire weapons and anything else fire-related," he gestured towards the male with the bright red hair before moving on, "this is our sniper, James." He gestured to the male with the fading black hair and glasses. "And this lovely woman would be Ashlyn. She's our explosives expert and sort of the leader of the group." He gestured to the female, grenades of all sorts lining her waistband. Her hair was in the style of a flapper, and it was also black but faded to green at the ends.

"It is such a pleasure to meet someone else who has wings," Ashlyn spoke, bowing her head.

"And last, but not least, is MW. The Moving Wall, or Dean," Michael gestured towards the brute-ish male, "he's sort of the one who handles the larger weapons… for good reason."

"It's… nice to m-meet all of you." Ellie looked at MacCready and smiled at him, "I'm Ellie… this is a good f-friend of mine: MacCready! I… I met him when I managed to f-find Little Lamplight after I g-got separated from my f-family…" she murmured, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Yeah, nice to meet you, MacCready... so, Ellie! I think you should come with me – you should spend some time with someone of your own kind," Michael butted in, placing a hand on the other Night Angel's shoulder as he smiled down at her, giving a side-glance towards the mercenary that gave him a bad vibe – one that was the feeling of smugness. Ellie looked up at him before grabbing his hand and removing it, moving to stand near MacCready.

"I… would, but… I d-don't know how g-good of an idea that'd be…" she took hold of MacCready's sleeve, causing him to look down at her out of surprise. "I…"

"… It's alright Ellie… if you want to go with him, you can…" MacCready tried not to seem too joyful about her actually thinking about staying. He didn't want her to leave, but she did deserve to spend at least a little time with someone… of her own kind. He took a breath in, "I'll be right here when you get back… if you decide to come back." It was Ellie's turn to look surprised as she looked up at the mercenary. It was obvious he didn't want her to go and she didn't actually want to leave, but this was probably the only chance she was going to get to be with another of her kind.

"So, what do you say, Ellie? Wanna come with us?" Michael smiled, hands on his hips as he flapped his wings.


	6. Sharing Stories

Ellie looked torn having to choose between both MacCready and Michael. On one hand, she got to spend time with an old friend of hers who so happened to be another of her species, on the other she could stay with MacCready and they could get to know each other more. There was still so much she wanted to know about his life; all they had spoken about was little of the past and only little of his life now and what was going on. It was a tough choice, one she wished she didn't have to make. She decided to try and be reasonable and somehow have both.

"… Michael, why don't you stick a-around here? I'm certain there's… something we can figure out to do," Ellie tried to reason. "Surely you d-don't need to take me with your f-friends…"

"You want me to hang around Sanctuary?" Michael raised a brow and scratched his chin, the hand slowly moving to his head to scratch there, "no offence, Ellie, but… Sanctuary Hills is pretty boring."

MacCready gave a glare. He really didn't like the attitude that Michael seemed to carry with him. He was that sort of guy who you knew secretly hated everything and clearly didn't want to stick around anywhere you wanted – and surely wouldn't – if it wasn't for some girl. Some girl that was actually rather special, at least to MacCready. Michael probably only wanted her to stick around with him for 'their species' sake' since they both were the last of their kind (at least that was the thought). And MacCready wasn't getting a good vibe on that either, Michael seemed to have something else planned. He didn't know what, but he could definitely feel something – a second intention behind most of his words.

Michael looked ready to just pounce and take her away when a sudden laser shot near his feet. He flapped his wings, floating back a few feet with the powerful gusts his large wings delivered to the ground; kicking up some dust along with it. MacCready looked up to spy Preston and Nate; Preston holding his laser rifle up, aiming it at Michael. Nate had a double barrel shotgun out, looking ready to shoot at Michael's raiders.

"Do we have a problem here?" Preston spoke out, obviously ready to shoot the Night Angel. He was possibly surprised to see another of Ellie's species, but the fact that he was rolling with Raiders turned on the defensive mode and he brought out his gun. Nate didn't seem too concerned, ready to fire at the small group at any time. The only thing keeping him from it would have to be the fact that none of them had raised their weapons and began shooting back.

"No… we don't… as a matter of fact, my group and I were just going…" Michael grumbled, stepping back. He flapped his wings and looked at Ellie before turning and signaling for his Raider group to start moving, looking to head to Concord and then to wherever else they'd go. MacCready sighed with relief, hearing Ellie sigh the same way at the same time.

"You two alright?" Preston asked, approaching them with Nate following close behind. "I thought I heard some commotion going on and woke up the General; we headed down here as fast as we could."

"Y-yeah… just… some of Michael's Raiders d-decided to try and bring me to him… then he showed up a-and tried to take me with h-him…" Ellie spoke softly, brushing a hand through her white hair.

"Lucky you two showed up when you did. I don't think Ellie would still be here if you hadn't… Michael looked ready to just grab her and bolt," MacCready pointed out before he stretched his arms and gave a short yawn. He'd been up all night and was just about ready for a long nap.

"Yeah. Lucky for us that he didn't, I wouldn't want our little friend here to accidentally get killed. People might think she's a Raider, too, traveling with that group. As much as it was to see another Night Angel around, he didn't look all that nice," Preston nodded. He frowned at the merc. "You should probably get some rest, MacCready. You look really tired. It's not exactly healthy for you to stay up all night, you know."

"A nap sounds great…" Ellie murmured, stretching out her wings as she gave her own yawn. The sun was inching its way into the sky now, probably being 6 or 7 in the morning. MacCrady smiled and patted the Night Angel on the shoulder.

"I'll take Ellie back to Sanctuary Hills, we'll find a bed to sleep in," MacCready blinked, "… not… together but… you know what I mean…"

Preston chuckled at the mercenary's comment before he looked to Nate, "I heard of a settlement that's in need of help from some Raiders, speaking about this... We should probably get going while we're up, General."

"Again? Didn't we _just_ help a settlement with a Raider problem?" Nate asked.

Garvey shrugged, "Raiders don't stop doing what they do, Nate. They're always around and just want to make living here harder. We'll be making the place safer if we deal with as many Raider groups as we can. Anyway, MacCready and Ellie, you two go get some rest. We'll be back later in the day, depending how long this'll take us."

"Alright, s-see you, Preston," Ellie smiled and gave a small wave to him before turning to MacCready and giving him the same smile. "S-so… a nap sounds wonderful…"

"Yeah. Come on, I'll walk you there - unless you want to fly yourself and I'll meet you at the end of the bridge," MacCready shrugged.

"… I'll w-walk. I'm too tired to fly…" Ellie murmured.

The two began the short walk back to Sanctuary Hills from the Red Rocket Station. They were both silent, Ellie listening to the water below the broken bridge as they crossed it together. MacCready didn't know what to really say as much as he wanted to start up a conversation with the winged woman. It was a good thing they were heading back now, it seemed liked some clouds were beginning to roll in and it would soon start to rain. A few drops began to fall from the sky as they made it all the way across the bridge.

Ellie outstretched her wing and held it over MacCready's head as the rain picked up within seconds, her other wing covering her own head so the rain didn't soak both their clothes like it had just a few days ago and made sleeping a lot more uncomfortable. He looked to her and gave a soft smile, chuckling as well.

"Kinda wish you did this back when I saw you at your little cave," he said playfully.

"It d-didn't' cross my mind to do so. Sorry."

They fast-walked to the house that held a great deal of the beds in it, Ellie flapping her wings outside to get some of the water off of them the best she could. She sighed and looked around, making a face as she stared at the beds. MacCready blinked and looked at the Night Angel as he sat on a bed close to the corner of the house. Why did she look so confused? It must have been the fact that the beds were bare and there wasn't much on them, something she probably wasn't used to since she seemed to enjoy having a little 'nest'. He sighed and patted the spot next to him, a silent gesture for her to come and sit beside him. She walked over, being careful not to whack MacCready in the face with her wings as she took the spot.

She wrapped her wings around the both of them, resting her head against his shoulder in a sleepy manner, her eyes shut. The merc chuckled, resting his head atop of hers.

"You know, I still remember the first time we met…" MacCready murmured. "Then again, it's kind of hard to forget… Not every day you see a kid with wings."

"So do I… you swore a lot m-more back then," she giggled. "Such a little thing, but you had t-the mouth o-of a sailor a-as my parents used to say…"

"Heh… yeah… not entirely something I'm proud of. Been trying to get out of that habit…" He rubbed the back of his neck, some of the, oddly soft, feathers tickling what was exposed of the flesh of his neck.

"Any special reasons?"

MacCready was slightly caught off-guard by the question, even while he should have expected it. He decided now was as good of time as any to tell her. He took one of her hands in his own, she looked up at him with such an innocent face – confused and slightly intrigued by what he may say. He wanted to brush the hair that had been covering her left eye away so he could stare into both of them, but instead settled for brushing a few strands of loose hair back behind her right ear.

"Okay… Ellie, I should have said something earlier. I… made a promise to my son Duncan to try and-"

"You have a kid?" She seemed surprised, her wings retreating and folding behind her back as she stared at him. She waited to hear him out, almost feeling hurt but knowing there had to be more to it than that.

"Yeah… he came down with a disease a little while ago; luckily, Nate helped me to get the cure for him, hopefully it got there before anything bad happened or it got too bad… Anyway, I should tell you my story… I met this wonderful woman, Lucy, I told her I was a soldier cause, well, let's be honest: There would be no knowing what she'd think if I told her I was just… a killer for hire. I didn't want to lose her because of it, " his grip slightly tightened on Ellie's smaller, more soft hand. MacCready frowned but went on, "a few years ago, we decided to hold-up in a metro tunnel, which was a terrible idea. It was infested with Ferals, we had no clue… they were on her before I could even get a shot… I grabbed Duncan and got out of there as quick as I could before they noticed us. I'll be honest, I didn't want to leave her… maybe it would have been better if I did stay. Didn't feel right, you know…"

Ellie's arms were suddenly around him - her wings were as well. He sat there and wrapped a hand around him, shutting his eyes and enjoying the embrace for as long as she offered it.

"…MacCready… I… I'm so sorry…" she whispered softly, backing away slowly. "… You've been raising Duncan all alone? I-it must have not b-been easy… nor must it h-have been easy t-to lose someone like t-that."

"I… I did have help from a friend of mine who's still watching over him… I've been thinking about going back to get him; maybe even stay there when I get enough money. I make sure to write to him occasionally and try to send him things when I'm able."

"…" Ellie looked down, hands gently resting in her lap. MacCready blinked, trying to look her in the eye. "… When I lost my parents, I did a lot of wandering around, like you… I-I feared all humans, e-especially those i-in suits of armor like the B-Brotherhood…" she grabbed the hem of her shirt, gently tugging at it, "I avoided h-humans at all costs – no m-matter what I tried t-to stay away from them. Of c-course, I found Little Lamplight t-through all that… even then, I-I didn't feel safe," She looked up at him. "I left Little Lamplight because I couldn't t-trust even kids my age; in all honesty, I j-just needed a place to feel safe, and I did but not fully so I left. I traveled a lot around the Capital Wasteland and just… everywhere. I made my way to… I believe i-it used to be called New Vegas. I m-met someone there w-while I was scavenging in an a-abandoned little town… his n-name was Ryan. He t-took me in after convincing m-me he wouldn't harm me and w-would make certain n-no harm came to me, either. Gave me a place to s-sleep and all the b-books I could read. He u-used to be a simple Courier he told me, but then he managed to work his way up to running the e-entire place after a-a few complications that h-he never really told m-me – he even ran the Brotherhood that was there…"

"Why didn't you stay there? Sounds like a great place to live. I mean, friends with a guy that's high and in-charge like that? You had everything you needed… Why leave?" MacCready questioned, feeling he already knew why she was here in the first place.

"… To see if I could find more of my species… I knew I-I couldn't be the last one around, even when I-I knew the Enclave tried to kill off e-every last one of us… I told Ryan I w-would be gone for a l-little while… I couldn't go back to New Vegas – not when I saw that g-giant ship fly through the sky. I-I thought it w-was the Enclave or s-something worse…" Ellie brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, the long sleeves of her shirt dangling slightly. "I was t-trapped here."

"Well, you know it's not now, it's just the Brotherhood of Steel… you can finally leave without troubles – right?"

She shook her head. "Not right. Th-they still have t-those flying machines a-and could s-shoot me down. Something f-flying through the air like me? T-they wouldn't w-want that around."

"… I'm glad that we both could share our pasts with each other…" MacCready mumbled, causing Ellie to look up at him, "I mean… sure we've told each other little things… but not… big things like this."

Ellie laid back and stared up at the ceiling, stretching her arms and her wings, "… Yeah…" she shut her eyes and sighed heavily, "… I'm s-still sorry about your wife… Ghouls – Feral ones – have always been a terrible problem… I've r-ran into a few… thank goodness I have wings otherwise I w-would have died already, especially when I-I was a kid."

"Hah, yeah… you can just fly away from them." MacCready chuckled, lying down on his side, propping his upper body up with his elbow. He smiled gently, feeling like he just had a weight lifted off his shoulders. He told the Sole Survivor his story before, but this time it felt a little bit different.

"And just what a-are you smiling about?" Ellie teased, sitting up some.

"Hm? Oh, nothing," MacCready shrugged.

"Sure…" she stood up and her wings gave a flap. She walked to the bed next to the one the merc was lying on and flopped onto that one, getting comfortable on her belly before her wings folded and tucked into her sides a little to keep her warm. "… See you when you wake up… or the other way around. Whoever wakes up first."


End file.
